John Gillespie

Carrick boss Gary Haveron says he’s ‘grateful’ to the Irish FA over its decision not to sanction the club over his recent touchline ban.

Haveron was sidelined for three games after being ordered from the dugout in the win over Crusaders in March. However, a week after the final game of the season when his side dramatically preserved its top-flight status with a last-gasp win over Ballinamallard, it transpired that Haveron had served one match of his ban on the wrong date.

The club was charged and faced a fine and a three-points deduction which would have meant relegation to the second tier of the Irish League.

But after a hearing on Wednesday evening, the Association’s Discipline Committee found ‘that the interests of justice were best served by not imposing a sanction in all the circumstances’.

Haveron, a Larne native, told the Times: “I’m obviously delighted that it has gone our way and I’m grateful that we’re going to get the opportunity to continue doing what we’ve done.

“Anybody within the football world who I had spoken two over the past week or so have all been very supportive in terms of it being an honest mistake. And I think we’ve held our hands up to making an honest mistake. The IFA have seen that and I’m grateful for the decision they arrived at.

“Mostly, I’m delighted for the players and the fans. The boys did everything that was asked of them on the park to survive in the Premier League, regardless of the fact that we left it to injury-time in the last game of the season. They did what they had to do.

“Ultimately, they have got their rewards and the fans have as well because at the end of the day they have been through the mill too, and I’m glad that we are out the other side of this situation.”